George Thorogood roared thoroughly bad-ass to almost 8,000 fans at the final installment of the 2012 Party In The Park series Thursday night. At 62, the Deleware Destroyer still has it, switching from lowdown, gutbucket bluesman a la Hound Dog Taylor to a flashy showman reminiscent of Little Richard.

• George Thorogood played Party in the Park last Thursday, August 9, 2012. PHOTO BY FRANK DE BLASE

Thorogood offers nothing new, but honestly his fans -- myself included -- only want to hear his savage guitar boogie and post-vaudeville, hepcat shuck 'n' jive. He is typically no frills -- a minimalist to the max -- yet his stage set up, with all its computer-driven lights and video screen, looked like a giant Lite Brite. It seemed more U2 "Zoo TV" than Junior Kimbrough juke joint. No matter. Close your eyes and Thorogood stands alone with that gruff and grizzled voice that suits his age now more than it did when I first saw him at the War Memorial (a mere stagger-stagger-crawl from last night's show) more than 30 years ago.

The Veins now features a father/son act, with Jet DiProjetto on guitar and his son Zane on drums. Man, how time flies; first I realize I've been going to rock shows for more than 30 years, next I see a little bastard who it seems like only yesterday, I saw on his dad's shoulders at a KISS concert in Buffalo, beating the hell out of the drums. The junior DiProjetto is mechanically similar to his uncle and former Veins drummer, Rob Filardo, but has his own sense of style and presence. It occurred to me, as the band pounded out its powerful, heavy rock in the antithetical light of day, that I don't think the band has any songs that aren't in a minor key. No biggie, I'm just sayin'.